THE NORTHWEST - England 2012 and the Best of Wales - page 579

antique and modern furniture, and luxurious fabrics and wall coverings in neutral
tones. Some rooms have picture windows looking over the gardens with their ponds
and fountain; others have private terraces or balconies.
10 Hough Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 2LQ. www.kingsleylodge.com. & 01625/441794. 6 units.
£199-£225 double, from £290 suite. MC, V. Rates include breakfast. Free parking. Amenities: Lounge.
In room: TV/DVD, CD player, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
Mickle Trafford Manor This 16-century Tudor manor just northeast of
Chester has great facilities for its price range: an outdoor hot tub, a sauna, and a small
gym. The Master Bedroom boasts a vaulted beamed ceiling, vast bed, and double-
ended bath, but all three guest rooms are very pleasant, and there's a sunny lounge
with a conservatory plus a cosy hall with an open fire. Packed lunches can be ordered
for days out.
Mickle Trafford, Cheshire CH2 4EA. www.mickletraffordmanor.co.uk. & 01244/300555. 3 units. Free
parking. Double £80-£95. Rates include English breakfast. MC, V. Amenities: Lounge and honesty bar;
garden; hot tub; sauna; gym. In room: TV.
Wizard's Thatch Eccentric and not to everyone's taste, this cute-as-a-
button ivy-covered thatched cottage, with its small-paned windows and beamed ceil-
ings, houses three suites (one sleeping four) filled with antique knick-knacks and
prints and four-poster beds draped with gold and red tapestries. It was named after
the legendary magician of Alderley Edge (p. 575). Another place for a romantic break,
it offers packages including champagne and chocolates on arrival, and boasts a pond
where you can sit out by candlelight. Quirky decorative details include shelves lined
by old ginger-beer bottles and framed Punch cartoons and ancient newspapers on the
walls; the building's age means you have to contend with uneven floors, narrow stairs,
and very low beams and doorways.
Summerhill Cottages, Macclesfield Rd., Alderley Edge, Cheshire SK9 7BG. www.wizardsthatch.co.uk.
& 01625/599909. 3 units. £185-£265 suite for 2. Free parking. Amenities: DVD and CD library; books
and games. In room: TV/DVD, CD player, MP3 docking station (in 1 suite), kitchen facilities (fridge,
toaster, and microwave), hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).

15

LIVERPOOL &

MERSEYSIDE
Liverpool: 219 miles NW of London; 103 miles NW of Birmingham; 35 miles W of Manchester
Like Manchester, Liverpool has re-emerged from decline to become a world-class city,
enjoying an unprecedented cultural and economic reawakening and proudly asserting its
extraordinary maritime heritage. But the rest of heavily urbanized Merseyside bears
some other gems, notably Crosby beach with its eerie Anthony Gormley art installation,
Formby with its nature reserve and sand dunes studded with ancient footprints, and the
thoroughly English traditional seaside resort of Southport .
Essentials
GETTING THERE Frequent trains from London's Euston Station to Liverpool
take just over 2 hours direct but more usually 2 1 ⁄ 2 hours, with a change at Crewe in
Cheshire, costing £70 for a round-trip. There are also direct trains to Liverpool from
Birmingham (about 1 3 ⁄ 4 hr.), Manchester (about 1 hr.), Chester (about 45 min.),
Leeds (about 1 3 ⁄ 4 hr.), and York (about 2 1 ⁄ 4 hr.).